340 



CARNIVORA 



Bemarks. — This small, short-eared fox is probably a native 

 on the two islands where it occurs. The presence of the larger 

 animal, similar to that of Italy, on Sai'dinia ma}^ l)e due to recent 

 introduction. The Corsican specimen, though a mummy and 

 without fur, appears to be a typical example of Vuljjes ichnusse. 



6. Sarrabus, Sardinia. Marquis G. Doria (p). 88.12.1.2. 



(Type of species.) 

 6. Lanusei, Sardinia. 0. Thomas (p). 0. 2. 21. 1. 



{W. Wolterstorff.) 



Family MUSTELID^. 



835. Miistelidfn Swainson, Nat. Hist, and Classif. of Quadrupeds, p. vii, 361. 



Geographical (Jistrtbutioii. — Essentially cosmopolitan ; absent 

 from Madagascar and Australia ; in Europe west to Ireland. 



Characters. — Larger cheek-teeth of a combined trenchant and 

 crushing type, the last upper premolar and first lower molar 

 strongly differentiated as carnassials, the former 3-rooted, its 

 inner lobe in front of middle of crown ; upper molars, 1-1 ; upper 

 carnassial with not more than two outer cusps ; auditory bulla flat 

 or moderately inflated, without septum ; form usually slender, 

 the legs always short ; size moderate or small (including the 

 smallest known carnivores) ; feet digitigrade or sub- plantigrade ; 

 toes, 5-5. 



BemorJcs. — The family Mitstelidse is, next to the Ganidee, the 

 most generally distributed group of carnivores. It is divisible 

 into four sub-families, all of which occur in Europe, where they 

 are represented by six of the two dozen or more known genera. 



KEY TO THE EUROPEAN GENERA OP MUSTELID^. 



Grown of upper carnassial triangular or rhombic in 

 outline, its length and width sub-equal ; lower car- 

 nassial with anterior triangle distinct, the meta- 

 conid nearly as large as the outer cusps. 

 Upper molar much larger than carnassial ; skull 

 narrow and high (normal), the rostrum much 

 longer than broad ; tail short, bushy, not mus- 

 cular ; habits fossorial (Badgers, sub-family 



Meliniv) Melcs, p. 341. 



Upper molar about equal to carnassial ; skull broad 

 and fiat, the rostrum broader than long ; tail long, 

 densely furred, very muscular ; habits aquatic 



(Otters, sub-family Lutriniv) Lutra, p. 354. 



Crown of upper carnassial not triangular or rhombic in 

 outline, its length much greater than its width ; 

 lov/er carnassial with anterior triangle obsolete or 

 absent (represented by the two outer cusps only), 

 the metaconid when present much smaller than the 

 other cusps. 



